12th of Never

fit. Joe sat on the lid of the toilet seat and bounced our little girl on his knee. He asked me if I wanted reheated lasagna or if I wanted to go out to eat.
    “Easy one,” I said. “Please nuke the pasta.”
    Martha lowered her snout into the tub and lapped at the bathwater until, laughing, Joe pulled her away.
    I wanted to savor these last few hours of the weekend, just soak them up. When the phone rang, I didn’t answer it.
    Whoever was calling could darn well wait until morning. But Joe looked at the caller ID, picked up, and said, “Hey, Richie.”
    I said, “Tell him I’ll call him back.”
    “He said he’ll wait,” Joe told me.
    I stepped out of my luxurious bath, threw on a robe, and took the phone from Joe.
    “I’m off duty, Richie.”
    “You want to hear this.”
    There was something in his voice that told me not to blow him off. He sounded bone-tired, or in shock, or simply at the end of his rope. Whatever the reason for his call, it was damned important to my partner.
    “Then you’d better tell me,” I said.
    He said, “It’s … it’s …”
    His voice cracked, as though he were going to cry.
    “Rich. What’s wrong?”
    “It’s Morales,” he said. “She got herself out of the hospital. She escaped.”

Acknowledgments
    Our gratitude to these top professionals who were so generous with their time and expertise during the writing of this book: Dr. Humphrey Germaniuk, Medical Examiner and Coroner, Trumbull County, Ohio; Captain Richard Conklin of the Stamford, Connecticut, police department; attorney Philip R. Hoffman of New York City, New York; and Robert A. Wilson, MD.
    We also wish to thank Andrea Spooner for sharing the experience of a lifetime.
    As always, we are grateful to our excellent researchers, Ingrid Taylar and Lynn Colomello, and to Mary Jordan, who keeps it all together.

I’m proud to support the National Literacy Trust, an independent charity that changes lives through literacy.
    Did you know that millions of people in the UK struggle to read and write? This means children are less likely to succeed at school and less likely to develop into confident and happy teenagers. Literacy difficulties will limit their opportunities throughout adult life.
    The National Literacy Trust passionately believes that everyone has a right to the reading, writing, speaking and listening skills they need to fulfil their own and, ultimately, the nation’s potential.
    My own son didn’t use to enjoy reading, which was why I started writing children’s books – reading for pleasure is an essential way to encourage children to pick up a book. The National Literacy Trust is dedicated to delivering exciting initiatives to encourage people to read and to help raise literacy levels. To find out more about the great work that they do, visit their website at www.literacytrust.org.uk .

    James Patterson

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    Copyright © James Patterson, 2013
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